Red Scarlet-W entry-level 5K video camera announced

Red has announced the Scarlet-W, a 5K video camera that might just be accessible to the enthusiast.

You may or may not be familiar with the Red name, but it’s pretty much the front-runner in professional digital camera technology. If you’ve seen a digitally shot blockbuster at the cinema in recent years, there’s a good chance Red cameras were used.

Naturally, such equipment is prohibitively expensive to the average amateur film maker, but Red has just released a new model that could almost be called affordable.

Well, not really affordable. But the Red Scarlet-W is available for $9,950, which works out to the best part of £6,600. That’s for the camera-only, with packages starting from $14,500 (about £9,600).

This Red Scarlet-W and its custom Dragon S35 sensor is an interchangeable lens camera capable of shooting 5K full frame footage at 60fps, 5K 2.40:1 at 48fps, and 4k 2.4:1 at 150fps. That means silky slo-mo 4K video is a possibility here. The Red Scarlet-W can also capture 2K ProRes footage.

Of course, as Engadget points outs, Red does have an even more affordable camera in its range. However, the Raven is only capable of 4K capture, and it’s intended for drone usage. The Scarlet-W is a proper hand-held camera with 5K capabilities, and it’s yours for the price of a bog standard hatchback.